Other Disorders of the Skeletal System

B
ecause bone consists of living cells, it is constantly changing as old
cells die and new cells take their places. Any systemic disease during the
growing period may temporarily halt the growth of long bones. As the aging
process continues, dead bone cells are not replaced as consistently as in
earlier life. The bony skeleton thus loses some of its calcium content, a
process known as
decalcification
or
bone atrophy
, and the bones become fragile.